Any other 'PCSO issues' that do not fit in to the other forums. Recruitment of PCSOs, day to day PCSO duties, questions about law, joining the regular police, becoming a special, anything else remotely PCSO orientated!!

by Martin Evans 8 Dec 2014
Neil Rhodes, the head of Lincolnshire Police, said under the current funding arrangements, his force would be “unsustainable” by 2018 and will be the “first in the country to fall”.
In a stark letter to Theresa May, the Home Secretary, which has been seen by the Daily Telegraph, Mr Rhodes warned that the implications for public safety and security could not be more serious.

He said the proposed budget for the coming years would leave a shortfall of £10.4 million, meaning his only option would be to axe a fifth of his front line officers in order to balance the books.

Mr Rhodes warned that under that structure, bobbies on the beat would be a thing of the past in Lincolnshire, while those officers left would take much longer to respond to 999 calls.
He said minor offences such as criminal damage and theft would have to be largely ignored, while investigations into issues such as historic child sex abuse and cybercrime would stop.

Mr Rhodes also said his officers would no longer be able to travel to other parts of the country to help out with major events or disturbances, such as the London Olympics or summer riots.

“If we were a business, then it would be being funded at below the cost of being in business. The cupboard is bare and it is likely that we will be the first force in the country to fall over,” he said.

Geographically, Lincolnshire is one of the largest forces in the country, covering almost 2,300 square miles.

But with few urban conurbations and a relatively low population, the force has one of the smallest staff of all 43 forces in England and Wales.

It has already slashed the number of officers from 1,220 to 1,100, but Mr Rhodes said the current budget proposals mean a further 236 front line officers will have to go.

He said those cuts were simply unsustainable and would mean the force could no longer operate effectively.

He said: “In 2016-17, Lincolnshire Police will be, on the basis of current financial projections, on the edge of viability. In the following year it will be unsustainable.” Mr Rhodes said every cost saving measure available had been exhausted and the only option left was to start making

He certainly is brave and credit to him for telling it like it is. Any idea if his IPCC is echoing his comments. The Home Secretary may well replace him but she can't replace the reality. Whoever looks at the finances, provided they look at them properly, will surely see the same future.

Drastic cuts have been made. There may even be room for some more but the bottom line is that you can only spread the resources so far before something has to give, whether it's what jobs are attended, who attends, when they attend, what priorities are given to what types of incidents, what equipment isn't purchased or replaced, the quality of equipment purchased. That famous thin blue line is fast becoming a pale blue dotted line, and the thinness and gaps are becoming blatantly obvious.

We've had a number of police services disband and be absorbed by the OPP here in Ontario ove the last 20 years, including some larger town forces such as Orillia City Police and Trenton/West Quinte Town Police